VIKTOR ORBAN AND FIDESZ - RANKLING SLOVAKIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUDAPEST 000411

SIPDIS

DEPARMENT FOR EUR/CE JAMIE LAMORE. PASS TO NSC JEFF HOVENIER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL LO HU
SUBJECT: VIKTOR ORBAN AND FIDESZ - RANKLING SLOVAKIA

Classified By: Acting P/E Counselor Jon Martinson, reasons 1.4 (b,d)

(U) This is a coordinated Embassy Budapest, Embassy
Bratislava cable.


1. (SBU) Summary. FIDESZ, and especially party President
Viktor Orban, have been under fire in recent weeks, both
domestically and in the region over the Party's position on
minorities and the representation of "ethnic Hungarian
interests" in the European Parliament. In response the
Slovak National Assembly, as well as the Foreign Ministers of
Germany, the Czech republic and Slovakia, expressed "deep
concern" over Orban's statements. FIDESZ's' recently
published security policy platform referencing the Ahtisaari
plan as a "precedent for similar action" in relation to
minority rights further complicates planning for the
Hungarian/Slovak Prime Ministerial meetings planned for July.
End summary.

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The FIDESZ Line
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2. (SBU) The specific comment which led to a barrage of
reaction was made by Viktor Orban at a May 23 European
Parliament (EP) campaign event held jointly by FIDESZ and
Slovakia's Party of Hungarian Coalition (MKP) in the
Hungarian town of Esztergom. There, Orban spoke of the June
European Parliamentary elections as an opportunity to ensure
that the interests of all Hungarians living in the Carpathian
Basin are represented in Brussels. (Comment. In addition to
the 22 MEPs from Hungary, Orban would include the two ethnic
Hungarian Slovak MEPs elected this past weekend as those who
would represent Hungarian interests. End comment.) In
response, Slovak National Party president Jan Slota lashed
out against Orban, and called on the Slovak Parliament to
declare Orban persona non grata in the country.


3. (U) Additionally, FIDESZ's European foreign and security
policy platform, released in late April, also raised concern
with the following line: "From the perspective of the further
development of the international standards of minority
protection, the wide-ranging autonomies for the nationalities
as outlined by the Ahtisaari plan must become a precedent for
similar action."


4. (C) Asked by the Charge in a private meeting to clarify
FIDESZ's position vis-a-vis the Ahtisaari plan, FIDESZ
parliamentary Faction Head Tibor Navracsics commented that
"in FIDESZ's view, the principles of the Ahtisaari plan,
including the wide-ranging autonomies for nationalities,
offer a solution for all similar situations of conflicts
between majority and minority populations." Continuing,
Navracsics stated that the FIDESZ policy statement does not
advocate autonomy for Hungarians living beyond the border,
the goal is to use the Ahtisaari principles to support their
rights.

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Reactions for Abroad
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5. (U) Visiting Budapest on June 2 to commemorate Hungary's
1989 opening of its borders, German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with PM Gordon Bajnai and
counterpart Peter Balazs. Responding to questions from the
press, Steinmeier remarked that he views FIDESZ President
Orban's recent comments vis-a-vis the representation of
Hungarian interests in the European Parliament "with
concern." Steinmeier also discussed the issue in his meeting
the previous day with Czech and Slovak Foreign Ministers
Kohout and Lajcak. The three agreed that it would be a
"serious abuse of the Ahtisaari plan to use it for the
destabilization of another region." Following his meeting
with Steinmeier, FM Balazs said he did not wish to comment on
Orban's words, "spoken by an opposition politician at his own
risk."


6. (SBU) The following day, June 3, the Slovak parliament
held an extraordinary session, convened by governing
coalition parties, to discuss and respond to Orban's words,
According to text provided by Embassy Bratislava, the
Parliament's resolution ultimately passed expresses "deep
concern" at the "extreme surge of nationalism, anti-Semitism,
and xenophobia in Hungarian society" and the "irresponsible
nationalist rhetoric of the FIDESZ party," while
acknowledging the contributions of the Hungarian minority to
Slovak society. Further, "the National Council of the Slovak
Republic wishes to appeal to all fellow citizens of the
Hungarian nationality not to succumb to the cheap demagoguery

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and nationalist calls of some constitutional officials and
political representatives of the Republic of Hungary and of
the SMK that might disrupt the peaceful cohabitation of
Slovaks, Hungarians, and members of other ethnic minorities
living in Slovakia."

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Reactions from Within
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7. (SBU) The Slovak Parliament's resolution, drew varied
reactions in Hungary, including a FIDESZ released "position
paper," distributed to Budapest's diplomatic community. The
FIDESZ response calls the text of the resolution
"unacceptable" and points the finger at the Slovak
government, stating that "It seems clear that the governing
parties of Slovakia are openly leaning towards extremist
ideas. It is needless to describe the unacceptable political
intentions behind Jan Slota, the minority coalition partner,
but it needs to be stated that Robert Fico bears heavy
responsibility for his parliamentary majority's thoughtless
initiatives and unjust actions." The FIDESZ document labels
the Slovak resolution "aggressive propaganda designed for
domestic consumption."


8. (U) PM Gordon Bajnai - like MSzP parliamentary Faction
Head Attila Mesterhazy - moved to defend Orban, calling
comments depicting Orban as a neo-fascist "unworthy" and an
allegation which must be rejected "by everyone." While
acknowledging that Orban and FIDESZ "often" generate
conflicts with neighboring countries unnecessarily, Bajnai
said these do not carry the same weight as labeling someone a
neo-fascist. Bajnai met his counterparts from the Visegrad
countries in Krakow on June 4, and he later said the issue
did not come up in his brief meeting with his Slovak
counterpart Robert Fico. Bajnai and Fico are tentatively
slated to meet in July, and Bajnai has indicated his
intention to raise the matter then.

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Comment
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9. (SBU) Commentators and sources on both sides of the aisle
in Hungary acknowledge that at least some of the recent
tensions - and reactions - serve domestic political purposes
as the EP elections campaign moved to closure. That said,
Prime Minister Bajnai's and, in particular, MSzP
vice-president Mesterhazy's public support of Orban is
somewhat surprising based on the recent three-year history of
animosity between the ruling Socialist and opposition FIDESZ
parties. With the proposed Prime Ministerial meeting in
July, we will see if PM Bajnai has better success in moving
the bi-lateral relationship forward than his predecessor,
former PM Gyurcsany.
Levine